Effect controls
The Synapse effect is on every Synapse layer. Each control can be keyframed.
| Control | Default | Slider range | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Width | 2 | 0 to 50 | Stroke width of every line, in pixels. Typed values go up to 1000. |
| Color | White | Stroke color of every line. | |
| Slack | 0 | -200 to 200 | How far a level line’s middle drops, in pixels. Less as the line tilts, none when upright. Negative values bow upward. |
| Inset | 0 | 0 to 200 | Stops every line this many pixels short of both of its layers. |
| Max Distance | 300 | 0 to 2000 | Web lines show only between layers closer than this, in pixels. |
| Fade Distance | 100 | 0 to 1000 | Web lines fade out over this last stretch of Max Distance, in eight steps. |
| Draw On | 100% | 0% to 100% | How much of each line is drawn, starting from its first layer. |
A new Synapse takes Width, Inset and Max Distance from settings. Style and animate the lines explains each control in use.
The Synapse layer
Each new Synapse is a comp-sized shape layer named Synapse, or Synapse 2, Synapse 3 and so on when the name is taken. It sits directly below the lowest of the layers it links and has no parent. After a tile click it’s the only selected layer.
Inside it:
| Contents | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Links group | An unstroked path that works out where every line goes, once a frame. |
| Lines group | The stroked path that draws the lines. |
| Lines 100%, Lines 88% and so on | Instead of a single Lines group, a Synapse with Web lines has eight, one for each fade step, brightest first. |
Leave the paths’ expressions alone. They name the linked layers, by name when the name is unique in the comp and by index otherwise.
Undo
Every action is one undo step, named after the action: Synapse: Chain, Synapse: Hub, Synapse: Web, Synapse: Link and Synapse: Remove.
Limits
- Web links up to 40 layers at a time.
- One Synapse can hold up to 7000 layers.
- The sky shows up to 60 stars.
- Cameras are never linked. A Synapse in the selection is never linked as a layer.